Friday, October 28, 2011

Nokia launched two new smartphones from Microsoft Windows, Wednesday, in time for Christmas, the first step in fighting back the mobile phone manufacturer in trouble against Apple and Google.

BEO Stephen Elop introduced two new smartphones, the first fruits of its big bet on Microsoft software for an audience of 3000 in London high, saying they represented the beginning of a new era for the Finnish giant.

"It's a new dawn for Nokia," Elop said when he unveiled the Lumia upscale and midscale 800 710 Lumia, who will go on sale in major European markets next month.

An interview with Reuters, said Elop's largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world had moved, while at 13 months in office, which has seen the renewal of the leadership and thousands of layoffs.

"It is a different company operating on a different clock speed," he said. "The amount of effort and passion and work that's been accomplished that we were able to show off today is the best evidence of that."

Nokia shares, which have halved in value as high risk Elop announced a partnership with Microsoft, and abandoned the old platform in February rose 3.1 percent for the year 1323 GMT, beating the wider market .

Elop said the design of the new phones "minimalist superior navigation features that make them stand between the rival Windows phones, some of which have been quicker to market with the new mobile platform from Microsoft Mango.

Christian Lindholm, a partner at design agency Fjord, which has already succeeded Classic Nokia S60 and S40 user interface, said the new phone has displayed renewed confidence in the traditional strengths of Nokia.

"They're getting back to their roots -- simplicity," he said. "They've stripped out the noise and focused on what people need to communicate, navigate and socialize."

Analysts were positive for the new phone, even though they said the first results of the Nokia-Microsoft pair stayed away from the iPhone killer.

"These devices are a good start, but the reality is that they are pretty much plain vanilla Windows Phone products,"said Ben Wood, research director at the UK, the overall telecommunications analysis firm CSC.

"A genuine fruit of the labors of Nokia and Microsoft will be next year ... but it is a Herculean task to capture this lucrative market, and Apple (the Google platform) Android."

The Lumia 800, with bright colors and curved black screen features icons Windows Phone Live on the home screen, auto-update news, weather and Facebook feeds.

It also provides a free navigation, and Microsoft's new browser Internet Explorer 9, and sells about 420 € (584 dollars) tax exemption, putting it in the same category as Apple's iPhone and Samsung phones Galaxy tops.

Snow blades are sold by nearly 710 270 euros.

"Lumia phones have some good stores in its own right ... and offer a look that is radically different from anything seen before on a Nokia device," said John Delaney, research director at technology research firm IDC .

Hard work

Nokia has suffered most in recent years, the U.S., where operators have been rejected in favor of offering the iPhone and Android models like the Motorola Droid.

Elop said the company planned a portfolio of new products for the U.S. market early next year and says he has the support of Nokia U.S. carrier.

In Europe, Nokia launched new phones with the support of 31 operators and distributors, helping the phones in the hands of consumers and provides security.

Mobile platform Microsoft has a market share of only 2-3 percent, compared to Android in nearly 50 percent and 15 percent of the smartphone market from Apple.

Analysts and developers say that the Microsoft platform was becoming the third player on a random time when Google planned $ 12.5 billion offer for the uncertainty of Motorola Mobility for other Android phone manufacturers.

"They were really lucky. There is much doubt the Android Marketplace now," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Gartner technology research.

Elop said that it was an open question what the trouble to Google Motorola business would be, but said nothing to indicate problems that should help.

"I think any kind of confusion or doubt in other ecosystems can be something that can be an advantage for Windows Phone," said Elop told Reuters.

The phones will be sold in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and England in November, and Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan before the end of the year.

Nokia also unveiled four new handsets as the basis for emerging markets, where it still has a leading position.

Nokia's third quarter beat expectations low, which bodes well for the company can survive a painful renew, but smartphone sales still fell by 38 percent a year ago.

The annual Nokia World media and industry events in London, where the launch took place on Wednesday, includes speakers from the world's largest providers, China Mobile, Vodafone, Orange and MTN.